The Best Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

A handful of ingredients, twenty minutes, and you’ve got cheddar cheese biscuits that are warm, flaky, and absolutely loaded with melty sharp cheddar. The garlic herb butter goes on while they’re still hot out of the oven and soaks right in. If you’ve ever had Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you already know the idea. These are the homemade version and they are BETTER! You will make them once and then you will make them every week. I’m not exaggerating.

Do not forget to check out my Chefs Tips and Wine Pairings sections below!

Cheddar Cheese Biscuits — A Little History

You can’t talk about American cooking without mentioning biscuits. They’ve been a mainstay since the 1800s and in the South you’d find them on the table at every meal. The old time ones were nothing fancy… just flour, fat and some liquid. The idea was to get something flaky and tender on the table in a hurry, no yeast and no time wasted waiting for dough to rise. That’s what set them apart from bread and why home cooks who didn’t have all day to spare loved them.

It wasn’t until later that cheese made its way into the mix. When you put sharp cheddar in the dough it is a whole new animal! The cheese melts while it bakes and puts pockets of flavor in there rather than just having butter on top of plain bread. It turns a simple side dish into something worth getting worked up over!!

Then along came Red Lobster. Their Cheddar Bay Biscuits put one of the most well-known restaurant sides on the map in this country, and everyone was keen to try making them at home. You see a lot of Bisquick copycats for good reason… they’re quick and easy and as good if not better than the restaurant version, seeing as yours are fresh from the oven and not sitting under a heat lamp! We’ve put our own spin on it with this recipe and a garlic herb butter to finish it off that has the whole house smelling incredible.

What Makes This Cheddar Cheese Biscuits Recipe Different

Sure, Bisquick makes for an easy base, but the top work is what sets this recipe apart from the rest. You will find most copycats are content to just mix and bake the dough and call it a day. We put in a little more effort with a garlic herb butter. While the biscuits are hot enough to take it in, we brush on a blend of melted butter with garlic powder, parsley and Italian seasoning. It is the perfect finish!

As for the cheese, you want it in the dough, not sitting on top. Take some sharp cheddar, grate it yourself (pre-shredded has anti-caking agents that don’t melt right) and fold it in by hand. As they bake you get nice cheesy pockets throughout. The difference is plain to see if you do it properly.

We also make a point not to overmix, which is the common mistake with biscuits. A bit of stirring to bring the dough together is all you need; let the lumps and unevenness be. In fact, if the dough looks like it isn’t quite ready, then it is. Those imperfections are what yield flaky layers rather than something dense and hard. And use cold water, not milk. The water keeps the fat in the Bisquick solid for longer so when it goes in the hot oven you have a superior texture. Milk is fine, but the water is better.

How to Make These Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

1. Mix Bisquick and cold water in a bowl until the dough just comes together.
2. Gently fold in the grated sharp cheddar cheese.

Step 2: Bake the Biscuits

1. Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a greased baking sheet.
2. Bake at 450°F (220°C) for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Step 3: Season and Serve

1. While baking, melt the butter and mix with garlic powder, parsley flakes, and Italian seasoning.
2. Brush the hot biscuits with the seasoned butter. Enjoy warm!

Make-Ahead & Storage

• Prep Ahead: You can grate the cheese and mix the garlic herb butter the night before. Keep them separate in the fridge. Don’t mix the dough until you’re ready to bake though. These are at their best straight out of the oven and the dough doesn’t sit well.
• Refrigerate: Leftover biscuits keep for 2 to 3 days in a sealed container or wrapped in foil. They won’t be as good as fresh but they’re still pretty great reheated.
• Freeze: Bake them, let them cool completely, then freeze in a sealed bag. Good for up to 2 months. Pop them in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes straight from frozen and they come back to life surprisingly well.
• Reheat: Oven at 350°F for 5 minutes. Don’t microwave them or they turn rubbery and sad. If you want to go the extra mile, brush on a little more garlic butter after reheating.
• Meal Prep Tip: Make a double batch and freeze half. On a busy weeknight, pull a few from the freezer and reheat while dinner cooks. Fresh-tasting biscuits with zero effort.

Chefs tips

• Use Cold Water: Keep the water cold when mixing the dough. It keeps the dough from getting too sticky and helps make the biscuits light and fluffyᅳexactly what you want for that perfect texture!
• Don’t Overmix: When stirring the dough, mix just until everything comes together. Overmixing can make the biscuits tough, and we definitely want them soft and tender!

Cheese Tip: Grate your own cheddar if you can! Pre-shredded cheese has extra coating, which can keep it from melting as smoothly. Freshly grated gives you a better melt and more flavor.

• Keep an Eye on the Bake Time: Biscuits cook quickly at 450°F, so check them around 8 minutes. You’re looking for that golden color on topᅳdon’t let them over-bake and dry out.
• Brush That Butter Right Away: As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, brush them with the seasoned butter while they’re still hot. This lets all that garlicky goodness soak in.

Faq’s

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowl: You’ll want a large bowl for mixing the doughᅳsomething simple, just enough to keep things neat and easy..
• Cheese Grater: If you’re using fresh cheddar (which I recommend! ), use a grater to get that perfect cheese texture.
• Baking Sheet: A basic baking sheet is all you need to drop your dough onto for baking. You will for sure need to grease the pan or line it with parchment paper (my favorite) to save yourself some cleanup time!
• Spoon or Cookie Scoop: This helps you drop evenly sized biscuits onto the baking sheet. A cookie scoop works great for this!
• Pastry Brush: You’ll want one of these to brush that delicious garlic butter all over the biscuits right after they come out of the oven.
• Measuring Cups and Spoons: Gotta make sure you’re getting those amounts just right, especially for the Bisquick and seasonings.
• Parchment Paper or Non-Stick Spray: Either one works to keep your biscuits from sticking to the baking sheet, plus it makes cleanup super easy!
• Wire Rack (optional): If you want to keep your biscuits extra crispy, let them cool on a wire rack after baking. It’s optional, but definitely helpful.